I'm pretty sure that the first utterance that came out of my mouth when I opened the box was, "Huh?"

It was a product sample from Dyson, and it was this tabletop... thing. According to the box, it was an "Air Multiplier," which still didn't help much. A whosis?

I was not alone in my confusion, as evidenced by one of the funniest promo videos I've seen.

Okay, so it's a fan. It looks vaguely like a large makeup mirror without the mirror. The middle is just hollow... no blades. That's right, no blades. That means no anxiety about little fingers or furry tails getting hacked off the second you look away from your fan.

I turned it on, and it was powerful and steady. You can easily tilt it and turn it, and set it to oscillate or to stay in one place. You can also adjust the air flow with a dimmer switch. It's about as loud as running a hairdryer on the low setting, and it comes in either a 10-inch or 12-inch model, with three colors. (The blue looks really cool, if you ask me.)

One of their most frequently touted features is that it eliminates "unpleasant buffeting" associated with regular fan blades, with a helpful link to a Wikipedia definition:

Buffeting is a high-frequency instability, caused by airflow separation or shock wave oscillations from one object striking another. It is caused by a sudden impulse of load increasing. It is a random forced vibration. Generally it affects the tail unit of the aircraft structure due to air flow down stream of the wing.

Now, personally, I have never noticed any unpleasant buffeting before. I have never felt particularly unstable around a fan, unless I'm in high heels and have recently taken Benadryl. But! I can say that the wind coming out of this Dyson fan does feel extra-smooth.

For me, the selling feature is all about the lack of blades. No matter how much other manufacturers try to imprison them in their metal or plastic cages, fan blades still make me nervous when little kids are around. With this fan, you'd never even have to warn your kids to stay away. The air is brought into the fan through the base, so there’s nothing to harm them, unless they perhaps pick the thing up and fling it into each other's heads. Which is not likely, unless you have those sorts of kids.

Now for the bad news: This fan costs $300. And you can't even get it on Amazon or somewhere you're likely to find a deep discount - it's available only on Dyson's website or in "select design stores."

The Dyson Air Multiplier was sent to Jenna Glatzer for review by Dyson's PR firm.

If you've read ZRecs for any length of time, you'll know how passionate we are about keeping kids buckled in the safest car seats, properly installed. I participated in a Twitter party on Wednesday for the new website Child Passenger Safety, where I was reminded that tomorrow, September 12, is National Seat Check Saturday. The event kicks off a week dedicated to child passenger safety (stay tuned for a review of a new car seat we've been testing out). On National Seat Check Saturday and all next week, we urge you to find a child safety seat check station and have your seat installation checked by certified Child Safety Technicians. (If you miss the event though, you can still have your seat checked by a technician at any time!)

Do you ever have a parenting week when you feel like someone shoved a great big wrench right into your finely orchestrated plans? You are busy and you have it all mapped out just right. It is a delicate game, but you are certain you can do it all.

Until.

A kid gets sick, a pet runs away, a partner gets laid off... We have all had things happen right at the wrong time.

Two weeks ago, my toddler had a bike accident and broke his foot. It ended up being a minor injury that could have been much worse so we felt very grateful. He is not in much pain and is hobbling around on his cast quite well.

But it was just not the week for an accident. I was already behind with work, we had plans to go to the coast for a relaxing weekend of sand and water (cue the evil laugh) and our budget right now does not include all the medical bills.

I should just be happy he is okay, but I can't help but get frustrated about the timing.

Until the end of the week, when I took him to his little preschool, feeling relieved that he could play for four hours so I could complete four writing pieces and answer about 300 emails.

But he would not let me leave him at the school.

He was clingy and wanted me to hold him. I couldn’t get him connected to his teachers or playing with his peers. After staying for two hours to help him settle in, we left when he finally said: "I want to go home," with tears in his eyes.

All my work would have to wait. My little guy had a major trauma this week. He was injured, rode in an ambulance and is hobbling around in a heavy cast. He is feeling vulnerable and needs me.

I took some deep breaths and made a new plan. I let go of some things I thought I should do. I asked for help from my partner in getting some time to work in the evening. And, I decided to share my story with you instead of the more complicated post I was planning.

When I ask myself what is really important to me, I know that my loved ones come before my to-do list.

How about you? What do you do when your big plans are derailed?